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Wednesday, June 27, 2007 Opinion & EditorialGuest CommentDemocrats worked hard for middle classby Phyllis Bookbinder, Corvallis Democrats in the 2007 Legislature rolled up their sleeves and made real progress, from relief of soaring property taxes on the middle class, to investing in public schools and lowering the cost of college, to addressing our health care crisis. They provided tax cuts, made investments in Montana a priority, held the line on spending, and established a Rainy Day fund for the state. In fact, they cut more taxes for more Montanans than at any time in history. Democrats gave permanent property tax relief, created better-paying jobs, provided quality, affordable healthcare and made education a top priority. And we delivered a sustainable budget with a strong ending fund balance -- without raising taxes one dime. Ordinary Montana homeowners deserve a meaningful tax rebate, and that's what Democrats gave them. After all, ordinary homeowners saw their property tax bills skyrocket more than 50% on average during twelve years of Republican neglect and failure, while multi-national corporations received tax giveaways repeatedly. As we promised, Democrats passed a $400 property tax rebate for Montana homeowners (HB 9) and they could have done a whole lot more. Here's what happened: Multi-national corporations have had a good ride in Montana these past 20 years, writing their own legislation (electrical deregulation), lowering their taxes (and raising ours), and enjoying virtual immunity from scrutiny of their tax returns thanks to an understaffed Department of Revenue. Ninety-seven percent of Montanans pay their taxes, but this is not true for corporations and individuals who live outside of Montana . Ordinary hard-working citizens should expect their legislators to help the state collect taxes owed, because when that money goes uncollected either the rest of us pay or the needed services are not provided. Seems simple, right? Wrong. Some legislators were unwilling to support even the most basic and fair efforts to collect from tax cheats. Experts estimate that with the right tools, Montana could collect an additional $50 million to $60 million in the next two years. Yet Republicans in the legislature voted to let these tax evaders off the hook. Republicans opposed common sense plans such as: • Withholding appropriate taxes at the point of transaction before the dollars leave the state. • Giving the Department of Revenue enough staff to work with the courts in other states to collect from tax cheats. • Closing loopholes that allow abusive tax shelters and tax avoidance by international corporations. If you were wondering why there wasn't permanent property tax reduction for homeowners this session, it is because efforts to achieve tax fairness stalled or were defeated by every Republican on the House Taxation Committee including our Representative, the Chair, Bob Lake. Remember these votes and hold your legislature accountable in the next election. |
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Letters to the Editor'True conservative' respondsDear Editor, This is in response to Dallas Erickson’s tirade against everything that he calls “liberal” in the June 20, 2007 Bitterroot Star. According to the dictionary definition, a liberal is one who is inclined toward favoring progress or reform, being broad-minded and not intolerant or prejudiced, and characterized by generosity. That is hard to live up to. The dictionary definition of a conservative is one who is inclined to preserve the existing order of things and is opposed to change. It is not at all difficult to be opposed to change. Being a conservative would seem to be much easier than being a liberal. Kudos to all liberals, if they can live up to the definition of a liberal. The voters in the last Ravalli County election indicated that the majority are opposed to change. They want at least some of their beautiful Bitterroot Valley to remain unchanged, with planned growth in appropriate areas. Most also believe that governments should be fiscally conservative, so children of the future do not have to pay forever for our excesses. Many people say that I am a liberal, even though I am against most change. On the issue of primary concern to me, malformations and other health problems in vertebrates, including human, I am an adamant conservative. I am very much opposed to the drastic changes in the faces, hearts, genitalia, limbs and thymuses of newborn vertebrates. All three of the new County Commissioners expressed to me that they are also opposed to those changes. By the way, Mr. Erickson, if you are pro-life, as you profess, don’t you care about the lives of malformed children or the fetuses that are aborted by exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals? Recent studies show that such chemicals being dumped by septic systems and sewer systems into the rivers and streams, as well as other hormone disrupting chemicals connected with human population density, seriously change and damage developing fetuses. You advocate building the Hamilton Wal-Mart in a place where many hormone disrupting chemicals will go from that septic system and parking lot directly into the river, a drastic change. Thus, your promotion of Wal-Mart is not consistent with being a conservative. Also, paradoxically, it thrilled you that Jesus Christ was mentioned by several presidential candidates. However, Jesus was not opposed to change, advocated reform, was not intolerant or prejudiced, was generous to all, even sparrows, and thus was the epitome of liberalism. Wouldn’t you be against him if he ran for office?
Judy Hoy |
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Good government needs religionDear Editor, Besides proving himself to be a bigot Darrel Binkerd, in a letter to the editor in another valley newspaper, seems to be fairly uninformed about political issues today. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints (in your derogatory term a Mormon). My age is beginning to show and I have been an active member for many of my years but I have yet to hear a "candidate supported from the pulpit" in any meeting. History proves that bigots have to lie to be able to demonize people and religions. We are considered to be a "Right Wing" church but I prefer that over being a member of a "Wrong Wing" church. Binkerd seems to understand that there are "Right Wing" churches but, like the press, prefers to ignore the fact that there are "Left Wing" churches. Just to help him out the Right Wing" churches believe that abortion is murder, that like the Founding Fathers believed, there should be protection from obscenity. Right Wing churches believe that people are to take care of the poor of their own free will. Right Wing churches believe that the Founders were inspired when they wrote the Constitution and that they intended for this to be a nation founded on the Ten Commandments. In fact President John Adams on October 11, 1798 wrote: "[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Now, "Left Wing" churches support organizations like the ACLU which pushes their agenda of unregulated pornography and drugs, homosexual marriage and the right to kill the unborn at will. They also support the idea that it is okay for the government to take money from one person and give it to another. Jesus never taught that. Binkerd, if you understand the difference between "Right Wing" churches and "Left Wing" churches you also understand the difference between conservative (Right Wing) and liberal (Left Wing) when used in a political context. Don't do like the Republic and fail to be truthful or play dumb on definitions. In a recent article they said that "abortionist" only had a definition meaning someone who performs abortions. Many dictionaries have another definition meaning someone who supports abortion. By the way "the separation of Church and State" is a figment of your imagination. One that you share with the other liberals.
Jerry Groesbeck |
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'Art for Art's Sake' *Dear Editor, Most of us identify the Bitterroot North Valley Pachyderm Club with the aims and ideals of the Republican Party. That certainly is a valid description. But it doesn't tell the whole story. From time-to-time, the Pachyderms put aside their political armour and take up a cause which arises in our community and which needs a helping hand. That opportunity is now on the table and it behooves all of us to examine its merits. Among the features which distinguish the Stevensville School System is art education. Several faculty members have devised a program of art education spanning through both grammar and high schools. The members of this faculty group are dedicated, talented and truly qualified to provide an appreciation of the visual arts to the students as they spend their years in the Stevensville School System. It is certainly one of the landmark features which brings Stevensville Schools into the range of excellence. There is, however, a hole in this system, and it brings with it a serious defect, one that the Pachyderms hope to correct through community effort. Quite simply, the student is offered a visual slide presentation of the subject being studied for, most likely, a matter of minutes. The slide changes and the student's access to further study goes with that change. The school lacks the opportunity for further and repeated exposure to the subject at hand because it lacks books on art. They are expensive. They are not available through the normal requisition, and that's where the Pachyderms come in. They have devised a method of solicitation and collection of this material in Stevensville. Basically, an appeal is being made to the community to donate books which portray the art of the masters (or their "schools") or various periods of art. These volumes will give the student continuing access to the works which he/she is studying. It will do much to improve this already established and popular program. It will enhance that which is already a distinguishing aspect of Stevensville's intellectually-enriching goals. All donations will be acknowledged. The~school faculty will have discretion on how all material will be used. All volumes will be marked with the name of the donor. Ed Cummings, both a Pachyderm member and also on the school board, described this project as a "win-win effort." Many of us have art books which have little chance of ever being looked at again. They can be turned around; they can be used over the years by hundreds of eager students in the process of being "turned on" by the great art of Western and other cultures over the ages. Do yourself and the youth of the town a favor. Look up on your shelves. Jay DeVore of DeVore Printing (303 Buck Ave, behind Valley Drug) has volunteered to be the collection point. All you need to do is (a) drop off the material you have, and (b) write your name and the material donated in Jay's journal. If the faculty deems any donation inappropriate, you will get it back. This is an important contribution to our school kids. It is one which is so easy for many of us to make. As Ed said, it really is a win-win endeavor. Please do this important thing for the youth of our community. If you would like to talk to someone on the art faculty they are: Courtney Christopher, Diane Mickelson, Mike Mickelson and Marina Weatherly. The school number is 777-5481.
John Susen (for) |
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A Bitterroot viewDear Editor, On June 20th in the Bitterroot Star the public was once again subjected to the pathetic drivel of Dallas D. (self appointed guardian of public morals and champion of Wal-Mart) Erickson. This time he took a break from lecturing us about pornography, and instead was whining about the outcome of the recent county election. The voters were obviously unhappy with the status quo and turned out in sufficient numbers to give the potential "same old business" candidates and one ineffectual incumbent somewhat of a drubbing. Needless to say Dallas D. was quite unhappy about this outcome, being a supporter of Howard Lyons, so he wasted little time in taking an unnecessary cheap shot at Jim Rokosch, who is a fine man indeed. And speaking of cheap shots, dear reader, Erickson even went so far as to endorse the reprehensible and offensive last minute radio ads that were denounced by many responsible Republicans. He says we have no free press, yet his letters get published in the local papers year in and year out ad nauseam. He pontificates on and on about his prudish and priggish views and woe to anyone who disagrees, for he shall be branded a "liberal." To anyone who is so pompously judgmental and quick to label all who disagree with him with derogatory names, I am going to take license to paraphrase the late Al Capp, and hereby bestow the acronym SWINE – Someone Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything – upon those of that ilk. If one finds oneself so far out of the mainstream as Dallas Erickson so obviously does in what he seems to consider this vale of liberalism, perhaps it is time to rethink one's priorities or to sit down and shut up! Jerry E. Shaw |
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Thanks from Stevensville Main Street Assn.Dear Editor, The Stevensville Main Street Association and St. Mary's Mission would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who help to make the 2007 Western Heritage Days event a great success! Thank you to the Parade crew, Parade narrative writer, registration desk helpers, Judges, Parade announcers, stage placement crew, tent helpers, Sunday morning clean-up crew, Stevensville School, Police Department, FFA and 4-H, Volunteer Fire Department, Key Club, sound system helpers, vendor placement assistants, grid makers, Living History demonstrators, Peoples Center cultural presentation participants, Living History narrators, Living History sponsors, tour guides, Historic Home Tour guides, Historic Home Tour wagon sponsors, Pioneer Carriage, Children's Games organizer, Art Show helpers, Reception helpers, Reception donators, Art Show sponsors, Car Show Judges, Car Show sponsor, Car Show organizer, information desk managers, Dutch Oven Gathering participants, Farmer's Market participants, special music providers, Cow Pie Bingo ticket sellers, Knights of Columbus volunteers, St. Mary's Family Center crew, sign makers, sign hangers, cookbook sellers, meeters and greeters, restaurants, Beer Garden helpers, Music and Entertainment sponsors, Food Court participants, all our businesses who participated and helped to sponsor and advertise for us. A huge thank you to all (hope we did not miss anyone). It was a great event and we thank all of you who helped to make this year bigger and better than ever!
Joan Prather, Executive Director |
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